Town Hall Debate

In December, when Tony Bullock ended eight years as East Hampton Town's Democratic Supervisor, he did so with a thoughtful comment: "At the end of the day, you'll be measured on the basis of what you've accomplished, not on all the wonderful fights and debates you've had."

Nearly a year later, as he prepared to leave East Hampton for a prestigious job in Washington as Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's chief of staff, Mr. Bullock returned to Town Hall to respond to the fire aimed by the board's new Republican majority at one of his major achievements - the town's recycling and composting plant. With characteristically colorful modifiers, he criticized those who would dismantle the widely admired, albeit costly, program.

It is to be hoped that the state-of-the-art waste program established during Mr. Bullock's tenure will be given a chance to prove itself and will prevail in the end.

A larger worry is the petty and unpleasant tone of the 1997 budget fight at Town Hall and whether it will set the tone for the year ahead and the next political campaign, when the terms of two of three Republican board members and of Democratic Supervisor Cathy Lester will be up. Both sides have been at fault.

Mr. Bullock will be remembered for his accomplishments as well as for the cutting comeback. It is to be hoped that the 1997 Town Board finds a way to be remembered for more than rancor.